Computer security has become an issue of great significance with burgeoning use of personal computers in every phase of business and personal life. There is no need for review of the significant numbers of reported incidences related to the introduction of viruses to computer networks, industrial and political espionage, theft, vandalism, etc. Personal computers today are becoming required tools, particularly in business, much like the telephone. The expenses associated with personal computing have prompted the introduction of a host of new protective software programs, a range of security hardware devices and even the passage of new legislation.
In the context of protective devices, Robert P. Lakoski is a name synonymous with the art, having contributed to a number of security devices. They include, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,312 issuing Aug. 11, 1987 which depicts a portable locking device for securing the front (data drive) of a personal computer. Likewise, Application Ser. Nos.: 227,129 filed Aug. 2, 1988 entitled COMPUTER DATA DRIVE LOCKING DEVICE; 267,265 filed Nov.4, 1988 entitled PERSONAL COMPUTER ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM; and 268,283 filed Nov.7, 1988 entitled COMPUTER DRIVE BEZEL ATTACHMENT, are all directed to personal computer security and limiting access thereto by unauthorized users. All of these devices share the common purpose of deterring data drive access.
Given that most data manipulation and input access occurs on the front side of the computer, protective devices such as those referred to above are directed to securing the data drives. Little attention, however, has been given to the vulnerable back end of a computer which generally contains the ports, cable connectors, power cabling, etc. Conventional construction of personal computer housings include screws disposed along the periphery of the back edge of the computer housing which secure it to the base support. The function of the base support is to provide the structural floor for the electronics and circuitry comprising a personal computer. The support often contains specialized and very expensive boards or cards dedicated to particular application requirements for the personal computer. Some of these processing/graphics/communications cards can cost thousands of dollars. Installation or removal of the cards is accomplished by unscrewing the housing screws, displacing the housing, and then inserting or pulling the card from the appropriate slot within the computer. If the card is the object of a theft, the theft can remain undetected, at least for a short period of time, if the thief replaces the computer housing into its original position. Hence, the absence of the card will be camouflaged.
Furthermore, in the event that a personal computer is properly secured at the data drive ports with, for example, one of the devices identified above, a knowledgeable individual can switch the A drive cabling to the B drive within the computer to defeat a diskette drive lock and software contained therein. Another aspect of potential data theft from a computer containing hardware software access deterring devices is to intercept the computer at the modem port. Access to the modem and modem port may obviate the need to enter the computer from the data drive interface. Valuable incoming information or access to internal information may be achieved by sophisticated intercept devices associated with modem cabling or a modem port.
Power switch (on/off) access control, standing alone, is often an impractical concept in the use of a computer. First, on long data runs, the power cannot be turned off without potentially disastrous loss of information. Secondly, to accommodate background programs such as Fax, file server activity, message machine, etc., the computer must be left on at all times. Hence, the switch should remain in the "on" position and power switch actuation security is meaningless.
The foregoing description of technical problems associated with access to the back portion of a computer is further augmented by the unsightly and disorganized cabling mess that normally is associated with the back of the computer. This cabling mess is further augmented by house cleaning problems such as accumulation of dust and dirt around cabling, ports, and the desks or tables upon which the computer rests.